Google blocks Singapore access to anti-Islam film

Sep 20, 2012

Google on Thursday blocked YouTube users in Singapore from viewing clips of an anti-Islamic film that has incited violent protests across the Muslim world, acting on a request by city authorities.

Google on Thursday blocked YouTube users in Singapore from viewing clips of an anti-Islamic film that has incited violent protests across the Muslim world, acting on a request by city authorities.

Attempts to access the low-budget "Innocence of Muslims" film on the Google-owned video-sharing website resulted in a message reading: "This content is not available in your country due to a government removal request."

Google has also blocked access to clips of the film in Muslim-majority neighbours Malaysia and Indonesia.

"Where we have launched YouTube locally and we are notified that a video is illegal in that country, we will restrict access to it after a thorough review," a Google spokesperson told AFP in an email response to queries on the block.

The Ministry of Home Affairs cited "security concerns" as the reason behind the request to Google in a press statement released Wednesday.

"The film 'Innocence of Muslims' has sparked off violent protests and riots that resulted in deaths and injuries in many parts of the world, including several countries in our region," the ministry said in the statement.

"The continued circulation of this film is likely to cause disharmony or feelings of ill-will between different groups in Singapore," it added.

Singapore has a predominantly Chinese population with minority races including Malays, who are mostly Muslim, making up 13.4 percent of its population of over five million, according to government data.

The city-state experienced racial riots in the 1960s and clamps down hard on anyone seen to be inciting communal tensions.

The US-produced film has angered Muslims worldwide for mocking the Prophet Mohammed and portraying Muslims as immoral and gratuitously violent.

In cities across the Islamic world, protesters have vented their fury at the amateur film by targeting symbols of US influence ranging from embassies and schools to fast food chains, leaving several dead.

Recommended for you

A unanimous Supreme Court ruled Tuesday that federal courts can hear a dispute over Colorado's Internet tax law. One justice suggested it was time to reconsider the ban on state collection of sales taxes from companies outside ...

Hillary Rodham Clinton used a personal email account during her time as secretary of state, rather than a government-issued email address, potentially hampering efforts to archive official government documents ...

User comments : 6

Everybody who is not living under a rock or in a hole knows by now that many Muslims reacts violently to negative depictions of their prophet or their religion. Knowing that and still going ahead with inflammatory material is nothing short of declaring war.

Everybody who is not living under a rock or in a hole knows by now that many Muslims reacts violently to negative depictions of their prophet or their religion. Knowing that and still going ahead with inflammatory material is nothing short of declaring war.

So the hell what? What if it was a well known fact that I shoot people in the face if they sing country songs because I am offended by country songs? Should people be blamed for getting shot in the face when I pull the trigger? NO! It doesn't matter that this particular person may have known what I would do. The issue is my ridiculous response to benign events. The problem here is psychotic morons killing people in response to WORDS!

@trekgeek1your argument has merits. However, to directly provoke in the face of certain retributions is not prudent or wise. There are other ways to make your targets eventually known their way is not the only way, nor the correct way to be be spiritual, enlightened, peace loving, living in harmony, whatever. Perceived truth has never been a good bull dozer license to make a path anywhere. The results had always been bloody, such as the past colonizations "to bring civilization to the backwards", for one example. The sad fact of life on this planet is, your perceived truth is for you only, others have to discover that for themselves. Sooner or latter, they have to learn this essential triumvirate: Listen to a statement-learn to CRITICALLY analyze it for truth or falsehood-act on it.

The most stupid thing about this is, does a prophet or god really give a diddly about an insult? Don't those morons belief that only members of their brand of cult will get to 'heaven'? While most religions seem to believe in 'cleaning up oneself' in preparation for resurrection, muslims seem to believe that the must clean the earth of non-believers. Perhaps they would be much better off turning a long lingering glance inward and clean up their own acts.

Please sign in to add a comment.
Registration is free, and takes less than a minute.
Read more

Click here to reset your password.
Sign in to get notified via email when new comments are made.

Javascript is currently disabled in your web browser. For full site functionality, it is necessary to enable Javascript.
In order to enable it, please see these instructions.